The 20 essential PC and Mac games of 2012

CVG: As we compiled this master-list it became apparent that most of these games are put together by relatively small teams. The best PC and Mac games tend not to be the work of vast corporations with millions of dollars in reserve, but the product of passionate developers, often working for free, without publisher support.

That's what's great about an open platform like PC; anyone can make a popular game. In fact, some of them aren't even games at all, but ambitious mods for other titles. The big publishers, for obvious reasons, won't take risks on games that don't have obvious mainstream appeal, but they can still shine on the home desktop.

CVG has compiled a list of the twenty brightest stars on PC and Mac, listed below in no particular order. Be aware that there's two key PC games that have not yet been released; Hawken and Hotline Miami, which are both deserving of your attention in the coming months.
(Black Mesa, DayZ, Diablo III, Legend of Grimrock, PC)